My name is Neeley Beliveau. I am the school social worker for Shiloh #85. I work at both the Elementary and the Middle Schools. I have been a local school social worker since 2000, and began my tenure at Shiloh in 2017.

I provide services to students, teachers and staff, as well as families. Services provided by a school social worker may include:

• Assessing and assisting students experiencing an emotional or behavioral crisis
• Providing individual and small group counseling for students
• Presenting on social-emotional and mental health topics in classrooms
• Mobilizing family, school, and community resources to help students
• Assisting students with conflict resolution and anger management
• Helping children develop appropriate social interaction skills
• Assisting children in understanding and accepting self and others

I strive to make myself as available as possible to students, staff, and families to help them address and work through problems that may interfere with a child's ability to learn and feel safe and successful at school.

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH

Today's youth are faced with many more stressors than children in recent history. Poverty, abuse, family separation, social media, and bullying are only a few of the many causes of stress, anxiety, and depression children of all ages may experience. "Taking Care of Your Mental Health" is now being presented annually to our Middle School students in grades 7-8. Mental health education and suicide prevention are important topics to teach our children so they may be better equipped to take care of themselves and each other, and feel comfortable and knowledgeable about seeking help. If you have concerns about your child's mental health, please seek help from a doctor or mental health provider. Or you may reach out to me for guidance in deciding the best course of action.

Why is School Attendance Important?

According to the Illinois State Law, every child between the ages of 6 and 17 must attend school.

School hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:05 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Obviously, we believe it is important for your child to attend school everyday. Good attendance provides children with a consistent routine, ongoing exposure to our curriculum and information being taught, as well as the opportunity to understand and internalize school expectations for learning and behaving.

When a child routinely misses school, it always has a detrimental effect.

Of course we understand that children fall ill, have appointments, or other very important reasons they may need to miss a day or two throughout the school year. However, when a child misses more than that, and especially if he or she is chronically absent, the learning and behaving process is interrupted.

Please note the following information that is written in the Student-Parent Handbook regarding school attendance:

"If a student is absent, his/her parent/guardian is required to call the school (632-7434) before 9 a.m. to report the absence and the reason for the absence. After 9 a.m., a student’s name will be placed on the absentee list and a parent/guardian will be contacted. If a parent/guardian is not at home, we shall attempt to contact his/her place of employment. If a parent/guardian is unable to be reached, the child must bring a note from home on the first day the child returns to school. If the student does not bring such an excuse to school, the absence will be unexcused. If a child is absent due to a communicable disease, the school must receive written permission from a physician allowing the student to return to school. The nurse's office will contact parents or guardians of students who miss 5 consecutive days of school to inquire about the student’s condition. If, after the first quarter, a student's absences exceed 10% of school days, a consultation with the principal will be mandatory. Students who are absent 40 or more days may be retained."

Excused and Unexcused Absences

As noted in our Student-Parent Handbook:

"An EXCUSED ABSENCE is an absence because of student illness, serious family illness requiring a student’s presence at home, death in the family, religious holidays or medical and/or dental appointments which cannot be scheduled outside of school hours. Complete make up privileges are allowed. A doctor’s note may be requested in cases of excessive absenteeism. If a child is going to be absent for an extended period of time due to an illness, contact Dale Sauer, Superintendent, for home/hospital instruction possibilities. "

"An UNEXCUSED ABSENCE is an absence without a valid cause. Students will not be permitted to make up schoolwork on a day of unexcused absence. An unexcused absence may result in disciplinary action. If a student has accumulated unexcused absences for 10% or more of the [previous] 174 school days, he/she is deemed truant. A letter will be written to the parent/guardian by the principal and a referral will be made to the local truancy officer [St. Clair County Regional Office of Education]."